The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (August 1 - August 15, 2026)
Saturday, August 1, 2026 :
We have a schedule to keep today, so wake up at 6-am and hit the road north 52 miles to a McD's in Spokane, Washington for breakfast. One hour limit, then roll on another 12 miles to Spokane Fairgrounds in Spokane, Washington. Here we check in at 8:30-am to the Spokane Highland Games and Scottish Festival. That sounds like fun, but the real reason we are here today is because this event is partially sponsored by Northwest British Classics Car Club, which is one of the clubs we have not made contact with in 12 years. So we pop in here today to meet some of the club members.
There were the various Highland Games, chucking, throwing, shoving heavy things in all directions.
Men's and woman's' events, singer and dancers.
Pipers and drummers of course. In the end most of the British cars were leaving around 3:30 rather than planned 4-pm, mostly due to forest fires not so far west burning and blowing northeast. Some people likely had homes in the path of the fires.
We also departed heading east from Spokane, landing a couple miles into the Idaho pan handle for late lunch and evening WiFi time.
Sunday, August 2, 2026 :
This morning we are sitting in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, 29 miles east of the Spokane County Fairgrounds. Talk about a harsh follow-up. The forest fire that started with 50 acres 10 miles west of the fairgrounds has been burning northeast, driven by 35 to 50-mph wind gusts. It jumped the Spokane River, and is burning through residential areas of northwest Spokane, Washington, 5 miles north of the fairgrounds. Now 3500 acres, heading for north Spokane residential, with zero containment and no sign of slowing down. We are okay for now.
We went shopping this morning, picking up more DOT5 brake fluid, and a trigger pump oil can from O'Reilly. Bound and determined to solve the stubborn failed clutch problem. Stay tuned.
With the sun slacking off some, at 6:30-pm we got the car around to the O'Reilly parking lot, back to work on the clutch problem. The new trigger pump oil can immediately proved to be defective. Lots of sloppy internal clearance between two tubes of the pump mechanism, allowing fluid to leak freely through the pump with no pressure. Trying to reverse bleed the clutch slave, pumping the gun as fast as I could repeatedly squeeze it, result was about two ounces of fluid moved up the pipe into the master cylinder reservoir. That should have removed any air in the circuit, but with no pressure it would not move the piston that would stick half way down the bore. I finally took the master cylinder apart again, removing the pushrods and end plate, and using a big screwdriver to extract the stuck clutch side piston. Then put it back together with the pistons flush at front of the cylinder body, and don't touch the pedals. Remove the top cover, and poke around with a tag wire to assure the tiny fluid holes in bottom of the reservoir were clear. Then reverse bleed it some more until I had cramps in my arms from fast pumping, finally getting the reservoir half full. Finish filling the reservoir from the top,and reinstall the top cover. Still not having touched the clutch pedal, so the piston was still at front of stroke. Poke the pushrod 1/8 to 1/4-inch of stroke many times before pushing the clutch pedal full stroke.
But still it only half way worked. Elliot pumping pedal while I was underneath with fingers on the slave pushrod, and it was only moving 1/4-inch where it should move1/2-inch. Full stroke pedal with only half stroke slave. Screw it, we're done for the night, working with flashlight and fully frustrated. Pack everything away. If it doesn't work now, we will take it up again later. May have to just pump it a million strokes to try to free up the sticking master piston.
Sitting in the car, fire up the engine to be sure it will start easily. Switch off, select 1st gear, pull start to go, one jerk and no-go. Push clutch pedal and swap gears a few times. Select neutral and start engine again. Let's see if it might work enough to force 2nd gear synchronizer to get it into gear. Then guess what? The clutch was finally releasing just enough to engage gear with pedal in the carpet. Sit there and pump it full stroke a dozen more times, and then it was working well enough to select 1st or reverse gears. Really? I wanted to say, "Miracles never cease", but this was no damn miracle, just a lot of persistence to overcome the bad rebuild kit and the faulty oil can. But at least it was finally working well enough to drive it back into the McD parking lot for late food and a rest break.
Latest fire news is three fires around Spokane have now burnt 8400 acres and something like 600 building structures, and it may be another 24 hours before winds may slow down some, We're 30 miles east down wind from the fire, still dealing with notable amounts of smoke.
Monday, August 3, 2026 :
Back at McD's in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho for breakfast, Day to sit down and catch our breath. Walk next door to the O'Reilly to return the faulty pistol grip oiler, get a refund, mostly a matter of moral obligation. Catching up trip log to date. Email and phone calls to clarify future appointment in Salt Lake City next Saturday. Bailing out of daho 11-pm heading east on I-90, passing out of Idaho into Montana, winding roads and hills in the mountains, lots of construction zones with one lane and barriers, slow going. One hour on, Montana Welcome Center and rest stop closed due to the road construction. Following the Saint Regis River, another hour to a fuel stop in Superior, MT. Then following the Clark Fork River another 15 minutes to Quartz Flats Rest Area. 1;30-am with a time zone change, jet lag, get some sleep
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 :
Up by 8-am, hauling it southeast another 45 miles into Missoula, Montana for breakfast and WiFi. I suppose this was our programmed stop for the day anyway, about 25% of the way to Salt Lake City. We surely lost count of how many times we crossed the Clark Fork River .
|
